They Are Seeking to Control Bab el-Mandeb: Yemen’s Government Warns of Houthi Plans

The Yemeni government has issued a new warning over plans by the Houthi militias to seize control of the coastline along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani told Agence France-Presse that the Iran-backed Houthis are planning to take control of coastal areas adjacent to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Such a development would threaten another vital maritime corridor following Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to three military sources cited by AFP, the rebels are planning to advance toward those areas.

If such an offensive were to succeed, it would strengthen the Houthis’ grip on one of the world’s busiest maritime routes. The group has repeatedly threatened the strait since 2023 and has attacked several vessels in its vicinity since the outbreak of the Gaza war.

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the US-Israeli attack on the country in February, increasing the strategic importance of Bab el-Mandeb, which connects Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal, particularly for oil shipments.

Al-Eryani told AFP: “Our confirmed information indicates that the Houthi militias, under the direction and with the support of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are working to create the conditions necessary to seize control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by expanding along the western coastline and attempting to take control of strategic Yemeni islands in the Red Sea.”

Al-Eryani also pointed to “military buildups and repeated attacks targeting ports, docks, civilian infrastructure, vessels, and the government’s naval capabilities.”

The Houthis recently targeted the coastal city of Mokha near Bab el-Mandeb, as well as military positions near the strait and Red Sea islands controlled by the Yemeni government.